How are corporations getting away with age discrimination?
I really do not understand it. Though I am 28 and not yet affected by it, I am surprised at the amount of people 40 and over that get turned away for employment when they are perfectly capable of doing the job correctly. I could understand if they ask for more money than you are willing to pay them, but besides that, shouldn’t the government be stepping in about this? I realize I will be old someday, and I will likely face the same thing…
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2 Responses to How are corporations getting away with age discrimination?
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There are already state and federal laws against age discrimination, but they can’t do anything about it unless they know it happened. That requires proof. If you’re already employed, proof is easier to gather when you can document problems at work for a period of time to establish “where the wheels fell off”, so to speak.
Age discrimination during the hiring process is difficult to prove unless you have witnesses that are willing to back up your claims or you get a rejection letter that was phrased in a discriminatory manner. A verbal accusation against a single interviewer amounts hearsay, he said, she said. Sometimes there is visual “proof”. Back in 1995, I spent a week in training on the Oracle campus in Redwood Shores, CA. I swear I didn’t see a single person over 30-35 all week long. Having “fresh talent” with “new ideas” can translate into age discrimination.
Being capable of doing the job is the minimum requirement. You would have to prove they were the BEST candidate for the job, and without having every single application in front of you, you do not know who was Best. The 40 years might be capable of doing the job, but the 25 year old might be capable and have a degree. Yes their are agencies that regulate age discrimination, but it is not discrimination simple because you are old and did not get the job.